He was spotted shaking and sweating while being led away from his plush villa in handcuffs. When asked if he was worried about being sent back to the UK he replied: “F*** knows, mate”.

And just four months later, the Daily Record revealed the conman was on a flight back to Scotland to finally face up to justice.

Voudouri, of Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, pleaded guilty to committing VAT fraud and money laundering between 2001 and 2004 and failing to appear at the High Court in Glasgow for sentencing on November 30 2012.

Passing sentence, Lord Tyre said told Voudouri that he was receiving 10 years for the VAT fraud and 18 months for failing to appear in court. - the sentenced to run consecutively.

He added: “This was a complex money laundering operation. The sums of money which you, and others acting with you, transferred from Q-Tech’s bank account to accounts with banks in Cyprus, Greece, Switzerland and elsewhere were very large indeed, amounting in total to over £11,500,000 according to the narrative agreed with the Crown.

“You instructed the formation of companies in Delaware and in the British Virgin Islands to further conceal the true source and ownership of these funds.

“Eventually some of those funds found their way back to Scotland, to be used by you, among other things, for the purchase of a house in Bridge of Allan and to fund a designer clothes business in Stirling.”

The millionaire businessman set up Q-Tech Distribution Ltd in June 2000 with another man called Ronnie Decker.

The company purchased computer equipment from companies based in the Republic of Ireland before selling it onto other companies in Britain.

Voudouri at court in Nicosia

The court heard that Q-Tech used false invoices and business records to conceal the fact that these goods had been bought from Eire based companies. The firm falsely claimed that Q Tech bought the goods from British companies.

Mr Ferguson said this allowed Q Tech to fiddle the VAT payments that they owed to the taxman. The court heard that this allowed the firm to pay reduced amounts of VAT to HMRC.

The court heard that the money which should have been paid to HMRC were then placed in bank accounts in Cyprus before being placed in accounts in Greece, Switzerland and the UK.

Some of the cash found its way into the bank account of Voudouri’s then solicitor Richard Housley who was based in Bathgate, West Lothian. Mr Housley was later convicted of money laundering and jailed for four years for his role in the scam.

The court heard that Voudouri also set up companies in the British Virgin Islands and Delaware to launder his ill gotten gains.

The court heard that this was done in a bid to confuse investigators as to who actually had control of the illicit funds.

Mr Ferguson then told the court that Voudouri used the cash to pay for his £600,000 in Bridge of Allan - but the home was purchased in the name of a business.

Mr Ferguson said: “The money returned to the United Kingdom was then used to purchase Michael Voudouri’s family home for the sum of £627,544.95 albeit the title was taken in the name of Trustunion LLC.”

Mr Ferguson then told the court about what happened in the aftermath of Voudouri fleeing to Cyprus.

He added: “On November 15 2012 information was received that the accused may have left the country. Police attended at his home address on that day and were told by the accused’s wife that he had left home and his whereabouts were unknown.

Voudouri fled to Kyrenia in northern Cyprus

“Inquiries were thereafter made with airports, airlines and ports. Alerts were put in place for all vehicles known to be associated with the accused and his family. The accused’s solicitors acting for him in the principal indictment were unable to contact him.

“The police searched all of the houses linked to the accused in the Stirlingshire area and spoke to the accused’s wife who maintained she had no knowledge of his whereabouts. In England the Metropolitan Police carried out a similar exercise for properties linked to the accused including his sister’s property. These inquiries also proved fruitless.

“After issue of the European Arrest Warrant, a red notice was circulated via Interpol so that law enforcement authorities in countries other than Cyprus would be aware that the accused was wanted.”

The court heard that police finally tracked Voudouri down to Turkish controlled Northern Cyprus. He was arrested there, taken to southern Cyprus and was extradited back to the United Kingdom.

Mr Ferguson added: “A conservative estimate to the cost to the public purse of the return of the accused to the United Kingdom is in the region of £7000 for three HMRC officers travelling to Cyprus, their accommodation there and their salary.”

Voudouri’s advocate Derek Ogg QC said his client fled Scotland because he was “scared of being incarcerated.”

Mr Ogg also said that members of Voudouri’s family had suffered from cancer and depression.

Passing sentence, Lord Tyre also ordered that Voudouri be placed under a Financial Reporting Order. This means prosecutors are able to check his bank accounts for criminal activities for a period of 15 years following his release from custody.

Voudouri's bolthole in Cyprus

He added: “Your decision to abscond to northern Cyprus caused a great deal of trouble and expense in, first of all, attempting to trace your whereabouts and, subsequently, having you brought back to this jurisdiction. I regard this, too, as a serious offence.”

Prosecutors welcomed the conviction.

Lindsey Miller, the procurator fiscal for organised crime and counter terrorism, said: “After an extremely complex investigation, today we have seen justice delivered to an individual who participated in money laundering on an industrial scale and who has gone to great lengths to escape the Scottish authorities.”

But last night defence solicitor Aamer Anwar said his client believed that he had been singled out by “corrupt” HMRC employees - and would be appealing against the conviction.

Mr Anwar said his client believed that the ring leaders of the scam were still free - including Ronnie Decker who the solicitor said was the “main accused”. He said 19 key individuals had never faced justice over the scam.